Part of the Social Media Marketing for Trade Shows series

The Pre Show step of Social Media (SM) for an event or trade show is your Planning stage. This is where you set up all of the ideas to accomplish your SM goals and put them into a game plan. Integrating your SM ideas into your display or booth graphics, videos and structures will also be decided during this stage. Always keep your customers and their needs in mind when planning. It would be a good plan to post on SM portals every other day 2 weeks out from the event then post once a day the week before. This will help to make sure you let all of your fans know you will be at the show and how to locate you.

Reminder 1: If you have not already read the section Social Media Portals – Toe Dippin’ Time check it out now.

Reminder 2: If you are going it solo check out the previous section Social Media – Population You where I discuss a solo plan.

The following ideas are for companies who are having a team or large group of individuals at a trade show or event.

Graphics:

• Design your booth graphics, sales literature, catalogs, white papers etc. that you will display or hand out with SM information. This way your visitors or others walking by on the show floor will be able to engage with you.

• Add Quick Response (QR) codes to your graphics and other ancillary show materials. Direct your QR codes to specific information like product demos, surveys, special pricing, suggestion boxes etc. to continue the engagement with your visitors.

Email Marketing:

• Design four email marketing campaigns about the event you will be attending. Send two of them two months out from the event. Send the other two the month before the event.

• If you do a monthly newsletter make sure to start hinting to the upcoming show in it starting two months out from the show.

• In your pre show email campaigns and newsletter show photos or renders of your booth display that you will be using at the event to stir up buzz.

Blog / Website:

• Add SM buttons to your blogs and websites so customers can begin to follow you and start the engagement process.

• Create a mini website or landing page dedicated to the event or about your appearance at the event.

• Leading up to the event add posts & photos to your blog showing your display being produced at different stages of development.

• Post a pre show article on your blog or website about things you will be showcasing or displaying at the show.

On LinkedIn: (Discussions can help with the planning process.)

• Post your show appearance as an event on LinkedIn.

• Get a discussion started by asking others if they are going to event or difficulties about events.

• Post a news release about the event on LinkedIn with a related group then invite followers to see it. Check the News area of a group to promote.

Twitter Time: (Plan some content but also be spontaneous with your posts while at the show.)

• Two weeks out from the event begin posting on Twitter once a day about attending the event. Then post twice a day the week leading up to the event.

• Schedule Twitter posts to go out two times daily during the show about the event itself, your booth location or special booth events you have scheduled.

• Create a hash tag (#) on Twitter to use during the event. Use it in conjunction with the official event’s hash tag. Post links to the event, your booth info, and photos of your display along with booth activity.

• For your Twitter followers exclusively start an online scavenger hunt. Put clues in emails, on your websites / blogs for people to follow and come in with a completed scavenger hunt form to the event. Advertise early to get people to sign up if they do not already. Give first 3 visitors to your booth with the correct information a nice gift.

• Decide on a good place to meet up with customers after the event and organize a “tweet up” and invite them through Twitter. Advertise the “tweet up” with graphics at your booth.

Using You Tube: (Using video increase traffic to your booth)

• Take a video of someone by your display for the show teasing your appearance at the show or make a video “news release”. Upload the video to your You Tube channel and link to it from all your other SM portals.

• Make videos of product demos, time lapse of a project etc. and upload to your You Tube channel.

• Mention specials and contests you will have at the show with a You Tube video.

• Make a short video dedicated to letting your customers know about your SM portals. Then tell them to follow you.

Other Ideas:

• Invite bloggers from relevant sites to your booth to get the scoop on new products or services you are introducing.

• Decide on an exclusive group of customers to meet with at the show and send them a “text message” during the event.

• Create a “back stage” pass for a few people to get a one-on-one with your companies CEO, VP or Salesperson attending the show. Do this away from the traffic of the booth attendees possibly in a separate section of the booth display.

• Plan and schedule videos or interviews to record at the show so you do not forget them.

Previous: Solo Social Media – Population You

Next Up: At Show Social Media – Let’s Do This!